Max Kellerman hardly should be considered the voice of reason when it comes to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
After all, his “cliff” take didn’t exactly age well, as Brady continued to thrive and achieve Super Bowl glory long after the outspoken talking head declared the quarterback’s demise was looming.
Still, Kellerman was among the many pundits to chime in Tuesday after Brady announced he was leaving the Patriots, even predicting on ESPN’s “First Take” that New England will fare better in 2020 than whichever team signs TB12.
“To me, the Patriot Way, the No. 1 guy most responsible for the Patriots’ success — including (Robert) Kraft, Brady and everyone — is Bill Belichick,” Kellerman said, “and I predict right now that Bill Belichick, with no quarterback left after (Jimmy) Garoppolo was shipped out of town, will win more games next year than Tom Brady, who has his choice of two teams who have nothing but offensive weapons.”
Presumably, Kellerman was referring to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Chargers, who seemingly emerged as the frontrunners for Brady once the 42-year-old announced he wasn’t returning to New England.
It’s since been reported that Brady intends to sign with Tampa Bay, so now the question can be raised: Will Brady and the Bucs or Belichick and the Pats win more games next season?
It’s a difficult question to answer without knowing who will be New England’s starting quarterback, but Kellerman’s point is clear: Belichick, not Brady, was the driving force behind the Patriots’ six Super Bowl titles during the duo’s 20 seasons together.
